A total of £10 million of Government cash will be used to pave the way for the development of thousands of new homes on the edge of Leicester.

Chancellor Philip Hammond and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid visited Ashton Green, near Beaumont Leys, today to announce the grant to Leicester City Council and 130 more housing schemes around the country.

The city council is leading the major development and will use the money to put in highways infrastructure.

Chancellor Philip Hammond (right) and Housing Secretary Sajid Javid will be visiting the Ashton Green housing site in Leicester. The project is set to receive £10 million government funding for highway infrastructure works to help unlock a potential 3,300 new homes (Image: Matt Short Photography)

The Tory ministers met Labour city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby to reveal Leicester’s bid for a share of the Housing Infrastructure Fund had been successful.

The fund, totalling £104 million across the East Midlands, aims to get new homes built more quickly.

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Mr Hammond said: “This fund finances vital infrastructure such as roads, schools and bridges, which will kick-start housing development in some of Britain’s highest-demand areas.”

Sir Peter said: “I am delighted that our bid for £10 million has been successful.

“This funding will unlock 60 acres of development land and the building of more than 3,000 new homes and is excellent news for Leicester.

“Off the back of this funding we will see developers of the next parcels of land invest an additional £150 million over the next five years.

Chancellor Philip Hammond (right) visiting the Ashton Green housing site in Leicester. The project is set to receive £10 million government funding for highway infrastructure works to help unlock a potential 3,300 new homes (Image: Matt Short Photography)

“Ashton Green will make a significant contribution to the 30,000 new homes needed in the city over the next ten to 15 years and will contribute greatly to the economic growth of the city.”

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Leicester City Council is the principal landowner and promoter of the long-awaited Ashton Green development, which is a mixed use urban extension on a 320-acre greenfield site to the north of Leicester.

The council has already invested more than £2 million in the initial infrastructure to kick-start the Ashton Green development, with the first occupants of more than 100 new homes due to move in over the coming weeks.

Up to 30 per cent of the new homes to be built at Ashton Green will be affordable homes for rent and for shared ownership.